that's it for us. thanks for watching. "early start" begins now. egypt erupting again overnight. live pictures from cairo here, new fury, the violence spreading as friday prayers fan the flames in the muslim world. and new developments in the benghazi, libya, attack. four people now under arrest, all four victims now identified. good morning. welcome to "early start," i'm christine romans. >> and i'm brianna keilar. zoraida zam lynn and john berman are off.

it's 5:00 in the east, so let's get started. protests erupting overnight and with friday prayers ending in just one hour, u.s. embassies around the world are bracing for more. overnight, the anger and defiance that started wednesday over an anti-muslim movie made in the u.s. spreading to 11 countries from egypt to as far west as morocco and as far east as india. the worst of it in yemen, where at least five yemenis were killed as hundreds of protesters stormed the american embassy in sanaa. cars and bottles smashed, water cannons brought out to control this crowd. in egypt, where the violence first erupted three days ago, more clashes. protesters setting fires and the egyptian military deploying tanks to keep things calm. and in libya, news overnight that four people arrested in the murder of ambassador chris stevens and three other americans. this morning, we're learning of the identities of the other two americans killed in that attack, glen doherty and tyrone woods, former navy s.e.a.l.s who were acting as security. >> meantime this morning, more

u.s. firepower has arrived, the president vowing all necessary steps to protect u.s. citizens around the world. and new information on the mysterious filmmaker who duped his cast and lit the match. we're covering this important story the way only cnn can. we're live in libya, egypt and washington, d.c. we begin in cairo, where a protest raged through the night. riot police carrying shields and batons rushing several hundred protesters. egypt's muslim brotherhood calling for demonstrations after friday prayers. similar calls for protest in iran and the gaza strip, and large protests expected in baghdad and iraq's second largest city, basra, as well as amman, jordan. ian lee has been following the developments in cairo. ian, what's the scene like right now? >> reporter: well, right now, christine, we still have battles going on between protesters and police. we're still seeing the tear gas used, rubber bullets used, protesters responding with molotov cocktails and rocks.

this battle has been going on since wednesday night. it's now friday, just about noon, so it's been a sustained battle. really no either side getting the upper hand on the other, but we're seeing injuries and more injuries on both sides as this battle continues. it is happening near the u.s. embassy on a road that goes from tahrir square to the u.s. embassy. right now, the protesters are about roughly 80 to 100 yards from the embassy, but the police have been able to hold them off. the military's also building a huge, concrete wall on the road leading to the embassy. this wall is about ten feet tall, and we've seen this used in the past to stop protesters from advancing toward critical places. christine? >> overnight, egypt state-run news reporting 37 people arrested in connection with the u.s. embassy attacks. what are the details of those arrests? >> reporter: well, what we're hearing is that the first four

were islamist that the government say were ones that were organizing the protests, but all of them are being questioned for inciting violence against the embassy. and really, this is what the government is trying to do. they said they were going to try to hold those accountable for entering the embassy, and these 37 people arrested is what they say is them actively doing that. >> it's midday prayers coming very soon, friday prayers in particular. concerns protests will become more angry or violent this afternoon? >> reporter: well, you know, egypt, it's known fridays are the days of protest, so we are expecting large numbers to go into the streets. many protesters -- the muslim brotherhood, the main group behind the protests, have been calling for their protests to be peaceful and to stay away from tahrir square and the u.s. embassy, but we do tend to see violence pick up on fridays.

and president mohamed morsi has reassured american officials -- this is what he said. >> translator: we assured president obama that we will be keen and we will not commit any such event, any such occurrence in our country against the embassy's territories. >> reporter: mohamed morsi was slow coming out condemning the incursion into the u.s. embassy, but now, yesterday and today, we've seen him come out with more force, saying that he will protect diplomatic missions from large protests. christine? >> you know, ian, wednesday night we heard president obama say egypt is not an ally but not an enemy, a careful distinction. how's that playing in egypt? >> reporter: well, the united states and egypt are trying

right now to feel each other out. it's kind of like an awkward first date, because before the revolution, the muslim brotherhood was an adversary of sort of the united states, and there was a lot of mistrust there. so, right now they're trying to build a relationship, trying to come together, but the military, the egyptian and the american military do have close ties, and this is one of the military officials in the united states said. >> ian lee, thank you. now to libya, where authorities have announced four arrests -- >> and we continue to do so today. we look forward to continuing our bilateral defense relationship. as you know, the secretary recently visited egypt, had very productive discussions there with president morsi and others, and our relationship with egypt, we believe, is on the right track when it comes to our military ties. >> why not call them an ally? >> i don't think that we really need to get into semantics. i think i've said what i have

said. >> reporter: diplomatic tensions may exist, but the military between egypt and the united states are still good. christine? >> all right, ian lee. thank you, ian. and let's head now to libya, where authorities have announced four arrests in the benghazi airport and just been shut down. joma jomana karadsheh is joining us with more. >> reporter: senior libyan government officials are announcing they're making great progress in their investigation. they're saying that a number of people, four, like you mentioned, have been arrested. we know that at least one of those men is a libyan national. the arrests were made on thursday in connection to the attack. we're hearing today from libyan officials that these are people who are not directly linked to the attack on the consulate. they are people who are known to

have links to extremist groups in the area. and we heard yesterday from the libyan prime minister, speaking with cnn's christiane amanpour in an interview, saying they don't know what group is responsible for this attack, but he did say these individuals, the long-term extremist group, it's something they cannot confirm yet. they suspect it's an extremist group and that is what they're investigating. >> and obviously, we'll be getting more details on that. jomana, we'll be checking back with you. joma jomana karadsheh in tripoli, thanks. now we're learning about the two other americans killed in the benghazi consulate attack. both were decorated military veterans. barbara starr joins us now live. barbara, what do we know about these two men? >> well, now, christine, we can confirm that the two men were former u.s. navy s.e.a.l.s, both highly decorated military veterans. they've now been identified by secretary of state hillary clinton as 41-year-old tyrone

woods and 42-year-old glen doherty. both of their mothers have spoken. >> ty would not want to be seen as a hero. he would want to be seen as a guy on his team who did his job. >> and did it well. >> and did it well, did it the best he could. obviously, obviously, and unfortunately, and i'm sure -- i'm sure my son went down fighting. i don't know the ins and outs of it, i haven't been told, but i'm sure he went down fight 'i'm sure he did. >> glen was an amazing human being, and we're devastated. he was a great friend and brother and really good at his job, and it's a huge loss for everyone. >> tyrone woods leaves behind a wife and three children, three boys, including a son who was

born just a few months ago. and doherty was in libya, actually, as part of a mission to search for shoulder-fired weapons left over from moammar gadhafi's regime, a big threat in libya. both men remembered by their community brothers today. christine? >> just a tragedy, just a tragedy, barbara. meantime, u.s. warships, marines moving into the region, are they now in place, do you know? >> right. let's go back over that. this is 50 marines, who of course, yes, are at the embassy only for security duty at the embassy. combat action by them is not an option. however, two u.s. navy warships, one already off the coast of libya, one approaching libya in the next couple of days. remember, president obama has said justice will be done, that the perpetrators will be brought to justice. it could be through further arrests by libyan authorities. this could become a law enforcement issue, and we'll wait to see what else happens. the options, though, are in

place for the president. >> all right, barbara starr. thank you, barbara. >> we are staying atop of this developing story. we have experts weighing in all morning long. later on "early start," we're talking to the director of the american islamic congress, along with peter brookes, former deputy assistant secretary of defense. and later on, on "starting point," former assistant secretary of defense jamie rubin, middle east analyst robin wright and ambassador tim roemer and ambassador richard williamson. still ahead on "early start," we're also watching the markets this morning. stocks soar on word of more stimulus from the federal reserve. gold here and get jobs to follow. we'll break down the announcement and what it means for your money ! [ male announcer ] it made a big splash with the employees. [ duck yelling ] [ male announcer ] find out more at... [ duck ] aflac! [ male announcer ] ...forbusiness.com. ♪ ha ha!

[ sneezes ] [ male announcer ] if you have yet to master the quiet sneeze... ♪ [ sneezes ] [ male announcer ] you may be an allergy muddler. try zyrtec®. it gives you powerful allergy relief. and zyrtec® is different than claritin® because zyrtec® starts working at hour 1 on the first day you take it. claritin® doesn't start working until hour 3. [ sneezes ] [ male announcer ] zyrtec®. love the air. join zyrtec® rewards. save up to $7 on zyrtec® products.

join zyrtec® rewards. take the steps to reach yours, everyowith usgoals. with real advice, for real goals. the us bank wealth management advisor can help you. every step of the way. from big steps, to little steps. since 1863 we've helped guide our clients, so they can take the steps to help grow, preserve, and pass along their wealth. so their footsteps can help the next generation find their own path. all of us serving you. us bank

well, the federal reserve is unleashing more stimulus, and obviously, the goal here is to rev up the economy.

starting today, the central bank will buy billions of dollars in mortgage-backed securities every month with no specified end date. so, break this down for us in normal language. mortgage-backed securities are really what started this whole thing. >> that's right. >> and here we are years later and this is -- >> this means the fed is trying to keep the economy going, it's trying to not even rev up, it's trying to keep it going. we're barely growing. they're trying to keep interest rates low, specifically mortgage rates, and the hope is the low mortgage rates will encourage people to borrow and more spending eventually means more hiring. it's a dose of confidence, and it's really an injection of money into the american economy. how? buying $40 billion of mortgage-backed securities each month, starting today. they're calling it qe-3. this doesn't use taxpayer money. instead, the fed expands the money supply, electronically crediting banks with more funds. they're also going to keep short-term interest rates low we know through at least mid-2015. previously it was 2014. this means basically because there's a two-year lag to fed

policy, ben bernanke is basically admitting that we've got ten years of very low, slow growth, something that has not happened in most of our lifetimes, ten years. >> ten years. >> bernanke justified the qe-3 at a news conference, saying the economy isn't where it should be. >> -- be on a path to moderate recovery, it isn't growing fast enough to make significant progress, reducing the unemployment rate. fewer than half of the 8 million jobs lost in the recession have been restored, and at 8.1%, the unemployment rate is nearly unchanged since the beginning of the year and is well above normal levels. >> of course, investors love this, because this means money just pumping through the system. so, the fed support pushed the dow and the s&p 500 to five-year highs! the nasdaq hit a 12-year high. and homebuilder stocks rallied pretty sharply, because i'll tell you why, this is supposed to be something that's good for the housing market as well. so, very, very low interest rates. so, low mortgage rates, we're hoping the mortgage rates stay

low for some time. they've been incredibly low. have you been watching mortgage rates? >> oh, i refinanced. >> good for you. >> not too long ago. >> good for you. >> took advantage of it like a lot of people, or a lot of people who can. that's really the issue if you're -- >> i'll tell you one of the criticism. some folks say this is the fed artificially supporting the economy and they're worried about inflation down the road, saying what's the payback going to be and the exit strategy? so the fed is walking this -- >> because it's open-ended. >> right. the fed is walking this tight line, saying we'll keep the rates low, let the money flow, be more confident, let the economy start to work again. the flip side of that is things are so slow and so bad, the fed is doing the unprecedented to keep it going, and that's a little bit of a dent to confidence. so, for now at least the markets really like it. >> yes, it can be alarming. christine, a fantastic breakdown. thank you very much. right now at 17 after the hour, let's get you up to date. embassies around the world are bracing for potentially more protests when friday prayers wrap up here in just about 45 minutes.

the anti-american rage is spreading. protests breaking out across the middle east, north africa, even in places like morocco, kashmir and israel, all over a crude, 14-minute movie produced in the u.s. that has angered millions of muslims. in libya, authorities have announced four arrests in connection with the attack on the u.s. consulate that killed four americans earlier this week. and mitt romney won't be out of the national security loop much longer. the gop nominee will be getting regular intelligence briefings from the obama administration beginning next week. that's customary for presidential challengers in the late stages of campaigns. new video from syria appears to show the military's shelling of a town in the damascus suburbs. the video is a bit shaky, but you can see a plane apparently firing a rocket over the town of yabroud. smoke is seen rising from buildings below. the opposition says nearly 60 people were killed yesterday in the area surrounding the syrian capital. talks have gone from bitter

to hopeful in the chicago teachers strike, and today, today could signal the end of the standoff. the teachers union and school officials have scheduled a vote at 3:00 p.m. today. the earliest classes will be back in session is monday. so a lost week for chicago school children. >> and they don't need that. coming up, we're continuing to follow our developing story, the president promising all necessary steps to protect americans as new anti-u.s. protests rage around the world. security beefed up to prevent another benghazi. we'll have a live report from the state department, next. egypt on guard for more violent protests there and across the region. we'll have a live report coming up.

one is for a clean, wedomestic energy future that puts us in control. our abundant natural gas is already saving us money, producing cleaner electricity, putting us to work here in america and supporting wind and solar. though all energy development comes with some risk, we're committed to safely and responsibly producing natural gas. it's not a dream. america's natural gas... putting us in control of our energy future, now. have led to an increase intands clinical depression.

drug and alcohol abuse is up. and those dealing with grief don't have access to the professional help they need. when you see these issues, do you want to walk away or step up? with a degree in the field of counseling or psychology from capella university, you'll have the knowledge to make a difference in the lives of others. let's get started at capella.edu why not take a day to explore your own backyard? with two times the points on travel, you may find yourself asking why not, a lot. chase sapphire preferred. there's more to enjoy. nature valley trail mix bars are made with real ingredients you can see.

like whole roasted nuts, chewy granola, and real fruit. nature valley trail mix bars. 100% natural. 100% delicious. 100% natural. music: "make someone happy" music: "make someone happy" ♪it's so important to make meone happy.♪.♪it's so e ♪make just one heart to heart you - you sing to♪ ♪one smile that cheers you ♪one face that lights when it nears you.♪ ♪and you will be happy too. exclusive to the military, and commitment is not limited to one's military oath. the same set of values that drive our nation's military are the ones we used to build usaa bank. with our award winning apps that allow you to transfer funds, pay bills or manage your finances anywhere, anytime. so that wherever your duty takes you,

usaa bank goes with you. visit us online to learn what makes our bank so different. returning now to our top story, the anti-american protests spreading across muslim countries. the obama administration is in full court press mode this morning, beefing up security at all of its posts in the mideast and anywhere else that demonstrations may pop up. our foreign affairs reporter elise labott is following that angle for us. and elise, friday prayers are part of the concern. if things are going to boil over, the thought is this is when it would happen, right? >> that's right. in 48 hours or so since the attack on the u.s. consulate in libya and in light of these protests at u.s. embassies in cairo and yemen, embassies everywhere, in the middle east, muslim world, particularly in these fragile countries, have been kind of seeing what they

can do to beef up facilities, president obama ordering all u.s. facilities to review their security, and that could mean more u.s. personnel at these facilities, or it could mean going out to the host country and saying we need you to give us more personnel, we need more barbed wire, we need barriers, road closures, anything that can be done to make sure that nothing happens. >> and obviously, to not -- to try not to have a repeat of what we saw in yemen and in benghazi. former u.s. administrator, elise, in iraq, paul bremer, he criticized the obama administration. let's listen to what he said. >> i think we should be concerned, because what we are seeing now is this spread. that started in two countries, today it moved to three or four more, including iraq, which is quite a ways from north africa, and that spread is eerily reminiscent of what we all went through in the late 1970s -- >> in iran. >> well, not just in iran.

we had an ambassador killed in kabul, followed by the embassy in islamabad being burned to the ground followed by the takeover in tehran. i mean, these kinds of things have a way of spreading, and i think they are a mark of the fact that the administration has basically conveyed weakness in this region, and weakness always begets trouble. >> so, he's raising the specter here of something of this developing into something much larger, which is obviously the fear of so many people watching this, elise, and he's criticizing the obama administration as being weak. is the administration responding to this? >> well, not specifically to paul bremer's comments, and i think there might be a little kind of political bickering going on. paul bremer, as you know, worked for the bush administration in iraq. but at the same time, i mean, there has been a lot of talk about kind of u.s. weakness and influence in the region over the arab spring, but i mean, in some of these countries, the u.s. helped get rid of moammar

gadhafi, hosni mubarak, really helping these movements. and so, even yesterday, protests in morocco, at the same time, secretary of state hillary clinton yesterday had a whole day of meetings with the moroccan foreign minister in terms of how the u.s. can help morocco kind of withstand this arab spring and move forward. so, there is talk about the u.s. loss of influence in the region, but it's also this movie and the u.s. reaching out to imams and any credible voices in the region to say, listen -- and governments, too -- you need to speak up and say, listen, the united states is with us, is your friend, had nothing to do with this movie. >> elise labott for us. thank you. next on "early start," the latest from libya, new information on the hunt for those who murdered two american diplomats and two navy s.e.a.l.s 11 years to the day after 9/11. a live report from tripoli. [ male announcer ] did you know that mach3 can last two times longer than a disposable? ♪

mach3 has high definition blades coated with 4 strengthening layers to help its blades stay sharp, so it can last two times longer than a disposable. get an incredibly close shave day after day. switch to gillette mach3. better shave, great value. guaranteed. gillette, the best a man can get. a short word that's a tall order. up your game. up the ante. and if you stumble, you get back up. up isn't easy, and we ought to know. we're in the business of up. everyday delta flies a quarter of million people while investing billions improving everything from booking to baggage claim. we're raising the bar on flying and tomorrow we will up it yet again. these are sandra's "homemade" yummy, scrumptious bars. hmm? i just wanted you to eat more fiber. chewy, oatie, gooeyness... and fraudulence.

i'm in deep, babe. you certainly are. [ male announcer ] fiber one. [ male announcer ] how could switchgrass in argentina, change engineering in dubai, aluminum production in south africa, and the aerospace industry in the u.s.? at t. rowe price, we understand the connections of a complex, global economy. it's just one reason over 70% of our mutual funds beat their 10-year lipper average. t. rowe price. invest with confidence. request a prospectus or summary prospectus with investment information, risks, fees and expenses to read and consider carefully before investing.

we're keeping our eyes now on live pictures as protesters are amassing in cairo with friday prayers starting to wind down. thousands more are expected when those prayers end in just about 30 minutes. the u.s. beefing up security at embassies worldwide right now in anticipation of that. and new developments in libya this morning. four people now under arrest. all four victims now identified, americans who were killed in the mayhem during the benghazi attack. welcome back to "early start." i'm christine romans this morning for you. >> and i'm brianna keilar. it's half past the hour. new this morning, anti-american protests erupting in more countries overnight and with friday prayers ending around 6:00 a.m. our time, u.s. embassies around the world are

bracing for more. overnight, the anger and defiance that started wednesday over an anti-muslim movie made in the u.s. spreading to 11 countries from egypt to as far west as morocco and as far east as india, the worst of it in yemen, where at least five yemenis were killed as hundreds of protesters stormed the american embassy in sanaa. cars and bottles smashed, water cannons brought out to control the crowd. and in egypt, where the violence first erupted three days ago, more clashes, protesters setting fires and the egyptian military deploying tanks to keep things calm. let's go to libya now. news overnight that four people arrested in the murder of ambassador christopher stevens and three other americans. >> this morning, we're learning identities of the other two americans in that attack. glen doherty and tyrone woods, former navy s.e.a.l.s who were acting as security there. meantime this morning, more u.s. firepower has arrived, the president vowing all necessary steps to protect u.s. citizens around the world.

we're covering this important story the way only cnn can. we're live in libya, egypt and washington, d.c. first to new developments unfolding in libya, where four men have been arrested. libyan officials say they're suspected of instigating the attack on the u.s. consulate that killed four americans earlier this week. and jomana karadsheh is joining us live now from tripoli by phone. jomana, what can you tell us about these suspects and also benghazi's airport is closed. tell us what's going on there. >> reporter: brianna, we have little information yet on the closing of benghazi airport. according to arwa damon, who is there at the airport, which shut overnight here, we're hearing this is possibly for security reasons. just in the hours ahead, we should have more information on the reason for that closure. now, regarding the suspects, we have heard from senior libyan government officials, saying they've made progress in their investigation into the attacks. in an interview yesterday with our christiane amanpour, the

prime minister announced these arrests. and also, we've heard more libyan officials saying that a total number of four suspects were arrested. the prime minister yesterday saying at least one of those individuals is a libyan national. the arrest took place in benghazi on thursday. and interrogations are under way with these suspects for their role -- for their suspected role in the attacks. but we're also hearing from another libyan official today, saying that these individuals may not have been directly linked to the attack, but they had ties to extremist groups. brianna, the libyan prime minister yesterday saying this is a top priority for libya, saying they are taking this very, very seriously. here is what he told christiane amanpour. >> i mean, we are conducting the investigation and we have had bilateral commission, which is right now heading, which is also

continuing to also have the foreign minister, the ministers of defense, interior and the intelligence and also members from our new congress. so, we are taking this very, very seriously, because as i said, this is something which we will, clearly, we won't accept that something like this would happen again in libya. >> reporter: this is something that not only senior government officials are saying, a lot of the people here on the ground in libya, libyans, ordinary libyans who are shocked by this attack, saying that this is not something they accept. >> jomana karadsheh for us in tripoli, thank you for that. >> the anti-american rage showing no sign of letting up this morning. in iran, hundreds of protesters have been gathering outside the swiss embassy in tehran, shouting "death to the united states!" of course, the swiss embassy handles u.s. interests in iran and is being heavily guarded by police. demonstrators are calling for all u.s. embassies in muslim countries to be suspended.

and in iraq, hundreds are taking to the streets of baghdad, burning american flags and denouncing the u.s. as the enemy of the people. iraq's prime minister denouncing that u.s. film that's sparking all this outrage, calling on all divine religions to go after the racists and stop them from spreading their dangerous thoughts. meantime, president obama offering a more cautious and nuanced take on problems in egypt, saying the u.s. relationship with that country will be shaped by how the country responds to the embassy assault in cairo. here's what he said during an interview on spanish-language network telemundo. >> well, i don't think that we would consider them an ally, but we don't consider them an enemy. they are a new government that is trying to find its way. they were dramatically elected. i think that we are going to have to see how they respond to this incident. >> state department spokeswoman victoria nuland declined to parse the president's words, but

she conceded the u.s. still refers to egypt as a major non-nato ally. a former u.s. ambassador to egypt says he thinks president obama is simply giving egypt's president space to work through the many issues he's dealing with. >> let's bring in the director of the american islamic congress, a non-profit group dedicated to promoting tolerance. nasser, welcome to the program. you've said you think imams in certain countries might be using the friday prayers to maybe fan the flames. tell me a little bit about what you expect to happen today. >> today we should expect to see a lot of radical elements surfing on this wave and trying to untie american sentiment. the reality is, it is very important to stress out that we know who triggered this and we know how to stop it, and i think that it hasn't been, unfortunately, commented enough that there is a wide network of satellite tvs that are

controlled by varieties of the muslim brotherhood who basically never stopped looking for an opportunity to get back in the news and be at the forefront as they used to be before the arab uprisings. >> so, you're saying very conservative elements are fanning these flames already? >> yes, and political elements, too, because a part of between the lines that, sort of the script between the lines that has not been said is that as a result of these riots and this explosion of out raining, all critical thinkers are being silenced effectively by this. no one can come out at this moment and take a different opinion that has been broadcast, and basically, that this is used to rouse the masses. and i think it is also very important and timely to point

out that this has nothing spontaneous to it, and it's a replay of the danish cartoon that was triggered by a cadre of radical elements. >> do you think this turns into a movement now, or is this a flashpoint that fades once friday prayers are over? >> no, there are two things going on here. you're going to see popular anger that's going to continue to spread for a moment until the big next thing happens, but there is also the governmental elements of this. there are some governments that are to be expected to try to leverage this to drive through an effort that has been in the works for years, where the former egyptian government, saudi government, among others, have been trying to impose through the u.n. the antiblasphemy laws as a new international norm, and that's going to continue, and that is, i believe, is cause to concern, because it will create basically

this double standard where free speech is going to be curtailed not only in the west, which is not really the matter here. the real risk of accepting this kind of double standard is that you're going to have all these free thinkers and people who, frankly, will be silenced by the clerics in this, like, new conservative or new islamic conservatism that has been rising across the region in the last three decades. >> all right, nasser wadady, thank you for joining us. after bashing the obama administration for its response to the unrest in libya in the middle east, it looks like mitt romney is ready to move on. he's refusing to escalate the war of words with the white house. romney pivoting in an interview with abc news after the president questioned whether the gop nominee thought through the ramifications. >> what i said was exactly the same conclusion the white house reached, which was that the statement was inappropriate. that's why they backed away from

it as well. >> and no direct response then, when the president says you shoot first and aim later? >> well, this is politics. i'm not going to worry about the campaign. >> during a rally in virginia yesterday, romney was interrupted by a protester who shouted "why are you politicizing libya?" coming up, governor romney's chances of winning the white house not looking good in some must-win states, at least when you take a snapshot of the polls today. new polls from the battlegrounds as we hit the home stretch of 2012. [ male announcer ] when a major hospital wanted to provide better employee benefits while balancing the company's bottom line, their very first word was... [ to the tune of "lullaby and good night" ] ♪ af-lac ♪ aflac [ male announcer ] find out more at... [ duck ] aflac! [ male announcer ] ...forbusiness.com. [ yawning sound ] progresso. in what world do potatoes, bacon and cheese add up to 100 calories? your world. ♪ [ whispers ] real bacon... creamy cheese... 100 calories... [ chef ] ma'am [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup.

a beautiful live shot of the capitol there in washington. 64 degrees, going to 85 today. beautiful, beautiful day. >> will they get any work done? will they get any work done? >> i don't know, but you can hold class outside today in washington. it's beautiful there. welcome back. with the race for the white house entering the home stretch, president obama appears to be making a late charge right now.

take a look at the latest cnn/orc poll of polls. 49% of likely voters now backing the president, 46% for romney. cnn political editor paul steinhauser live from washington. beautiful weather there in washington this morning. paul, there's a lot of fresh numbers also coming in from key battleground states, and we look at the national polls, but we really want to know what's going to happen in these states that will decide the election. what's up there? >> exactly, because the race for the white house, as you know, is a battle for those states and their electoral votes. let's get right to it. a batch of polls came out within the last 24 hours, as you mentioned. look at these from nbc marist and the washington, d.c., washington, d.c. ohio, crucial battleground state in the midwest. the president with a seven-point advantage in this new survey, slightly larger than before the democratic national convention. all these polls conducted after the conventions. florida, a five-point advantage for the president and virginia, the same as well, a slight bump there. according to the poll from michigan, epic mra, also came out in the last 24 hours, the president with a ten-point

advantage in michigan, the state where mitt romney was born. why is this so important? well, at the democratic convention, democrats spent a lot of time touting the auto bailouts over and over and also talked about how mitt romney was opposed to them. maybe, maybe that is having somewhat of a factor there in michigan. of course, again, all these polls conducted after the democratic national convention. so, if there was a bounce, maybe it will fade. brianna? >> we'll see. and obviously, the romney campaign is hoping there is a kind of late break that you see closer to the election and that more of the persuadable voters will go for him. but let's talk about, there's also some polling we have on the economy. this is pretty fascinating, because a lot of people aren't really happy compared to where they were four years ago, but maybe they don't blame the president. is that what we're getting from this? >> that's one of the senses we're getting from this. remember a week and a half ago, what were the republicans doing coming out of their convention? they were asking are you better off now than you were four years ago? and obama campaign officials and other democrats first stumbled on that question before saying

the answer is yes. what do americans say? 44% say they are worse off than four years ago, 37% say better off, and about one in five say you know what, i'm about the same financially as i was four years ago. but as you said, who are they blaming? who are americans blaming for the bad economy right now? well, guess what? it seems more are still blaming former president bush and republicans for this than they're blaming for democrats. you can see 57% of registered voters we asked say bush and the republicans, 35% say the president and democrats. of course, the economy remains by far the top issue on the minds of american voters, brianna. >> of course. and this means we will continue to hear president obama blaming the bush administration and saying that he had a long way to go with the economy. paul steinhauser for us. always a pleasure. thanks. >> all right, it's 46 minutes after the hour. let's get you up to speed this morning. rage against america spreading around the world as friday prayers turn into protests in the arab world. protests breaking out across the middle east, north africa and even in places like israel, morocco and kashmir, all over a

crude, 14-minute movie produced in the u.s. that has outraged muslims. in libya, authorities have announced four arrests now in connection with the attack on the u.s. consulate earlier this week, an attack that killed four americans. a guard who was taken hostage by prisoners in a maximum-security prison in south carolina is a free man this morning. officials say he was rescued without incident by armed officers around 9:45 last night after being held by prisoners for almost five hours. this was at the lee correctional institution. the guard suffered cuts on his arms and face but was able to walk out on his own volition. >> wow. a volcanic eruption in guatemala has forced the evacuation of 35,000 people who live nearby. the voel can de fuedo, volcano of fire, began spewing ash and lava about 10:00 in the morning around antigua. a cnn ireporter was working at a

golf course when he shot this breath-taking video. a missile test lit up the skies near white sands, new mexico, thursday morning. it's kind of beautiful looking. this could be seen all over the state along with the phoenix metro area. a target called a juneau was fired out of ft. wingate in gallup, new mexico, followed by a patriot interceptor missile that was launched out of the white sands missile range. all right, new information on the deadly attack on america in libya, the first arrests now and word that the mayhem may have come in two waves. we're live in libya next. 50% an. and everyone likes 50% more [ russian accent ] rubles. eh, eheh, eh, eh. [ brooklyn accent ] 50% more simoleons. [ western accent ] 50% more sawbucks. ♪ [ maine accent ] 50% more clams. it's a lobster, either way. [ male announcer ] the capital one cash rewards card. with a 50% annual cash bonus, it's the card for people who like more cash. [ italian accent ] 50% more dough! what's in your wallet?

[ italian accent ] 50% more dough! i've been a superintendent for 30 some years at many different park service units across the united states. the only time i've ever had a break is when i was on maternity leave. i have retired from doing this one thing that i loved. now, i'm going to be able to have the time to explore something different. it's like another chapter. i just served my mother-in-law your chicken noodle soup but she loved it so much... i told her it was homemade. everyone tells a little white lie now and then. but now she wants my recipe [ clears his throat ] [ softly ] she's right behind me isn't she? [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup.

try capzasin-hp. it penetrates deep to block pain signals for hours of relief. capzasin-hp. take the pain out of arthritis.

four people have now been arrested in the benghazi consulate attack that killed u.s. ambassador to libya christopher stevens and three other americans. arwa damon is at the consulate in benghazi for us this morning. arwa, you actually spoke to a libyan official there. what did he tell you? >> reporter: that's right. he's the head of the general

national congress. he is now saying that they do, in fact, believe that this was a deliberate, preplanned attack on u.s. interests designated to inflict maximum damage and drive a wedge between both countries. this entire compound has been utterly destroyed. i'm actually standing in what i was told was the main residence. the walls are tarred black, debris all over the floor. it's been completely and totally gutted. this is also the building where eyewitnesses are saying that the ambassador died. i spoke to the owner of the compound who rented it out and asked that a message be sent out that this act of horrific violence is not representative of all libyans. this is not why they took on the revolution to bring down gadhafi's regime, and he wanted to send his deepest condolences to ambassador's family and to the families of all those who perished. the government now very aware

that it has to somehow bring those who carried this out to justice. those fo four who were arrested at this point, not much detail's being disclosed about which group this were affiliated with. all we're being told by the government is that they believe they were affiliated with some sort of extremist organization. the big issue right now, though, is the government pretty much is currently, as it stands, incapable of controlling these armed gangs that operate in some parts of the country, right here in benghazi. it's pretty much total and complete impunity. >> arwa damon live in benghazi at the consulate. thanks. >> we have a packed hour ahead on "early start." protests erupting across the muslim world. today may be the most angry on the street of places like cairo and benghazi and baghdad. we'll have live reports from the hotspots. also, our experts on the region and the response weighing in all morning long. later on, we talk to peter

brooke s, former secretary of defense. and later on, former assistant secretary of defense jamie rubin, middle east analyst robin wright and obama campaign foreign policy ambassador tim roemer as well as ambassador richard williamson. >> a big lineup. still ahead, remembering the man behind the diplomat. >> instinctively and intentionally and through his training, he was about bringing people together. >> the family of u.s. ambassador chris stevens talks for the first time about his life and his death in the benghazi consulate attack. you're watching "early start." t family dinner to be special. dad, we want pizza. you guys said tacos. [ female announcer ] it doesn't always work out that way. you know what? we're spending too much money on eating out anyway. honey, come look at this. [ female announcer ] my money map from wells fargo is a free online tool that helps you track your spending. so instead of having to deal with a tight budget, you could have a tighter family. ♪

wells fargo. together we'll go far. nature valley trail mix bars are made with real ingredients you can see. like whole roasted nuts, chewy granola, and real fruit.

nature valley trail mix bars. 100% natural. 100% delicious.

all four americans who died

in the attack on the u.s. consulate in benghazi, libya, have now been identified. the last two to be named are both former navy s.e.a.l.s. tyrone woods is from southern california. he served multiple tours in iraq and afghanistan. since 2010, he has been protecting diplomatic personnel in outposts from central america to the middle east. his ex-wife telling a san diego tv station that woods loved being a s.e.a.l. more than life itself. glen doherty was also a navy s.e.a.l. and an experienced paramedic. he's from massachusetts. his sister says he'd only been in libya for a week. he put his life on the line to protect americans in many foreign hotspots. secretary of state hillary clinton says doherty died the way he lived, with honor and valor. diplomatic officer sean smith was previously identified as one of the four victims along with ambassador chris stevens. >> and the family of the slain ambassador is now speaking out. christopher stevens's stepbrother telling the world who he was as a diplomat and a person. he says ambassador stevens was

all about bringing people together. >> being able to listen to a palestinian, an israeli, and theoretically at the opposite ends of the universe from religious beliefs and political beliefs and honor them without either one of them feeling that he was either simplifying the situation, oversimplifying it or being patronizing. i mean, that's what peacemaking is about. >> and he says ambassador stevens died trying to help build a better libya. "early start" continues "early start" continues right now. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com egypt erupting again overnight. live pictures from cairo here. new fury of the violence spreading as friday prayers are ending as we speak, a traditional time for protests in the muslim world. and new developments in the benghazi, libya, attack. four people now under arrest, all four victims now identified as we learn new details about how they were killed. >> good morning, everyone. welcome to "early start."

i'm christine romans this morning. >> and i'm brianna keilar. john berman and zoraida sambolin is off. this is a big news day, 6:00 a.m. in the east. let's get started. >> great to have you here, brianna. more protests erupting in countries overnight as outrage over amore. as we speak friday prayers are ending in several countries, and that has u.s. embassies around the world bracing for potential trouble. overnight protests spreading to 11 countries from as far west as morocco to as far east as india. the worst of it in yemen where at least five yemenis were killed after protesters stormed the american embassy in san aa. protesters destroying cars and property as the military brought out water cannons to control the crowd. in egypt more clashes as dozens set fires and chanted slogans. and in libya, news overnight that four people arrested in the murder of ambassador chris stevens, three other americans. we now know the identities of

the two other americans in that attack, glen doherty and tyrone woods, former navy s.e.a.l.s, who were acts as security. more u.s. firepower has arrived. the president vowing that all necessary steps to protect u.s. citizens around the world will be taken. and new information on the mysterious filmmaker who duped his cast and lit the match. we are covering this morning story the way only cnn can. we're live in libya, egypt, and washington, d.c. we begin at the flashpoint for all the anti-american outrage, libya, where four americans were brutally killed earlier this week. and four people have now been arrested in connection with those murders. let's go to tripoli, jomana karadsheh joining us live by the phone. jomana, what do we know about these suspects in custody? it sounds like they may not be directly responsible for this. but perhaps can lead to some information about who is? >> this is what we're hearing today from a senior libyan government official, saying that these individuals who were

detained, four of them, may have not been directly involved but they have ties to the extremist group that carried out this attack, that is suspected of carrying out this attack. again, we're are still hearing conflicting reports on that because yesterday we did hear from the prime minister, speaking with cnn in an interview, saying that, as the individual was detained based on photographic evidence collected from around the scene. they had some people come forward and identify those people, giving them the names, and that is how the arrests have played. as the libyan government here is saying that it is very serious in its efforts to track down the perpetrators of this attack. we heard yesterday the prime minister speaking with cnn's christian amanpour yesterday. >> the acts that took place yesterday, this crude act, we immediately started the investigation trying to find out

who are the ones who have committed this crime, and up to now we have -- some individuals have been already arrested, and the investigation continues until we found out all who has been involved with this act, and clearly they are going to be punished for their actions. >> and, according to arwa damon who is in benghazi right now the latest development, this is a major development we are hearing from senior libyan officials, the head of the general national congress, that is libya's parliament, visiting the site of the attack today at the consulate, saying now that this was a preplanned attack, they believe, to create maximum damage. it was a deliberate attempt by these groups to create a rift between libya and the united states. >> and what do we know, jomana, if much, i know we don't know a lot about it, but are we

learning anything about why the benghazi airport may be shut down? >> we are getting different reports on why that has happened. and it's not clear yet. but, it's definitely clear that the airport was closed for security reasons. no specific reasons given yet, so we'll continue to look into that matter. >> joe man in karadsheh for us in tripoli keeping us up to date. meantime the obama administration is in full-court press mode this morning, they're beefing up security at all of the posts in the mideast an anywhere else the demonstrations may pop up. foreign affairs reporter elise labott is following this angle for us from washington. elise, the concern here is really friday prayers, which are wrapping up as we speak. if there's going to be some boil-over, the thought is this is where it could happen. >> that's right, brianna. for the last 48 hours since the attack in libya, president obama ordered all u.s. facilities around the world, but particularly in the middle east and muslim countries where muslims, where friday prayers could be a flashpoint, to review

their security and make sure that before these friday protests, prayers, and bracing for protests, that the u.s. diplomatic facilities have enough personnel, that they have enough equipment, that they have everything they need from their local host government to make sure those embassies are safe. but then the u.s. is also going out, fanning out across the globe to imams, to credible voices, to these local governments to say listen, we've stood by you throughout this whole arab spring, you need to stand by us now and start speaking out against these type of violent protests. >> so, let me ask you about this, president obama, he's offering this cautious nuanced take on u.s./egypt relations. let's listen to it. >> you know, i don't think that we would consider them an ally. but we don't consider them an enemy. they are a new government that is trying to find its way. they were democratically elected. i think that we are going to have to see how they respond to

this incident. >> so, break this down for us, elise, because we heard him saying not an ally, not an enemy, and a lot of this is diplospeak, if you're not someone who knowles it fluently like you, it kind of doesn't make sense. you're the translator. explain it to us. >> president obama speaking, and when you hear it around the world you think, oh, egypt isn't our ally. he misspoke a little bit. egypt is considered, as you saw in the earlier hour, as spokesman of the state department said, a major non-nato ally. the u.s. has relations with countries. they don't have relations with governments. and you've seen in these things with syria, with libya, with all of these dictators that the u.s. helped get out say listen, we're allies of this country, we're not allies of any particular government. and so right now, i think what president obama was trying to do was send a message to the egyptian government of president mohamed mursi who was seen as kind of foot dragging a little bit in terms of helping the u.s.

out, speaking out against these protests, helping protect facilities to say listen, we give you major support and that support is not guaranteed. but the u.s. is an ally of egypt. we'll just have to see what happens, how these two governments make their way going forward. >> elise labott, our foreign affairs reporter. >> live pictures of cairo right now where you're seeing scattered gathering of people there. these are live pictures in cairo as friday prayers are just ending. a protest was called by the muslim brotherhood. that's just beginning here. scattered protests at this point as people are leaving the mosques and coming in to the squares and the areas around those mosques. violent protests, of course, raged through the night. riot police carrying shields and batons rushing several hundred protesters. similar calls for protests in iran and the gaza strip and large protesters are expected in baghdad and iraq's second largest city basra, as well as ayman, jordan. ian lee is following stories for

news cairo. people starting to come out after friday prayer and they're beginning to gather. what's the scene looking like where you are? >> well right now, we have a lull in the violence. the protesters and the police really not engaging each other as friday prayers continue. but we are expecting people to trickle in to tahrir square. although the muslim brotherhood, and other islamist groups have told their followers to stay away from the square. they don't want to see clashes in the square, or around the u.s. embassy. they're calling for peaceful demonstrations. but right now, we're still hearing the friday prayers, and we do have a lull in the violence. one of the first times since the clashes began wednesday night. >> ian, overnight egypt's state-run news reporting 37 people arrested in connection with the u.s. embassy attacks. what are the details that you know. >> what we're now hearing is that out of those 37, 30 are being charged, and they're being

charged with thuggery, attacking police forces and destroying public property. these 30 we're hearing also that out of which four are islamists, but these 30 are what the police are saying is them show iing th they are taking responsibility. those that broke into the embassy, they're trying to find them and prosecute them for breaking in there. so this is what the police are saying, it's them showing accountability. >> the pictures you're seeing on your screen right now, folks, this is taped. as cnn is reporting there's a lull in the violence right now. what you're seeing is taped from earlier. even, what is president mursi saying about all this now? >> well, like you were saying earlier, president mursi was dragging his feet and finally did release a statement. he is -- he did say that they will protect diplomatic missions, and this is more of what he had to say.

>> translator: we assured president obama that we will not permit any such event, any such occurrence in our country against the embassies in our territories. >> and so far president mohamed mursi has made good on this promise. we've been seeing the police around the embassy. we're also seeing the army building concrete walls around the embassy, about 10 feet high to block protesters from gaining access to the roads leading to the embassy. >> all right. ian lee for us in egypt. thanks, ian. >> and we have experts weighing in all morning long as friday prayers lead to new riots in the mideast. later on "early start" we're talking to peter brookes, former deputy assistant secretary of defense and later on "starting point" former assistant secretary of defense jamie rubin, middle east analyst robin

wright, obama campaign foreign policy ambassador tim roamer, also ambassador richard williamson. >> we're also watching this morning's markets. stocks are soaring around the world on word of more stimulus from the federal reserve. but will stimulus from the fed mean jobs? we're going to break down this bag announcement and what it means for your money. ulf. and every day since, we've worked hard to keep it. bp has paid over twenty-three billion dollars to help people and businesses who were affected, and to cover cleanup costs. today, the beaches and gulf are open for everyone to enjoy -- and many areas are reporting their best tourism seasons in years. we've shared what we've learned with governments and across the industry so we can all produce energy more safely. i want you to know, there's another commitment bp takes just as seriously: our commitment to america. bp supports nearly two-hundred-fifty thousand jobs in communities across the country. we hired three thousand people just last year.

bp invests more in america than in any other country. in fact, over the last five years, no other energy company has invested more in the us than bp. we're working to fuel america for generations to come. today, our commitment to the gulf, and to america, has never been stronger. until i got a job in the big apple. becoming a fulltime indoor cat wasn't easy for atti. but he had purina cat chow indoor. he absolutely loved it. and i knew he was getting everything he needed to stay healthy indoors. and after a couple of weeks, i knew we were finally home! [ female announcer ] purina cat chow indoor. and for a delicious way to help maintain a healthy weight, try new purina cat chow healthy weight. droid does. and does it launch apps by voice while learning your voice ? launch cab4me.

droid does. keep left at the fork. does it do turn-by-turn navigation ? droid does. with verizon, america's largest 4g lte network, and motorola, droid does. get $100 off select motorola 4g lte smartphones like the droid razr. throughout our lives. one a day women's 50+ is a complete multivitamin designed for women's health concerns as we age. it has more of 7 antioxidants to support cell health. one a day 50+. to support cell health. mom: ready t♪ go to work? ♪

♪ ♪ every mom needs a little helper. that's why i got a subaru. announcer: love. it's what makes a subaru, a subaru. stocks rallied to five-year highs yesterday. you can thank the fed for that. policymakers announced a new round of stimulus designed to give the economy the kick it needs. but this is the third round of stimulus. so the question, of course, is, is it actually going to make a difference? >> will it work? >> is three times the charm?

>> they call it qe-3 and those who say without this stimulus where would the economy be right now? you don't have governments around the world doing anything, you have central banks doing it. this is about, this is about the law diminishing returns. with each dose of stimulus the effect lessens. bernanke acknowledged that in june. yesterday he admitted this new dose of stimulus can help, but it's not going to fix everything. >> i want to be clear that while i think we can make a meaningful and significant contribution to this problem to reducing this problem, we can't solve it. we don't have rules strong enough to solve the problem. >> because unemployment is too high. it's too big of a problem and the fed can't fix it alone. yesterday ben bernanke reiterated his concern about the fiscal cliff. that's congress. there's so much the fed can do but there have been a lot of concerns coming out of the fed about congress and analysts say that the fed, the fed's power pales in comparison to what congress can do. for now the fed is pledging to

keep support for the economy for the next few years. they're going to keep interest rates low until mid 2015. they're buying up $40 billion in mortgage-backed securities each month with no end date. that's the qe-3 part of it. that starts today. the goal is to revive confidence, boost lending, to encourage companies to spend money. the question, of course, from, from critics is, could this push us pin nation but the dow and the s&p and 500 aren't worried about that right now. they hit five-year highs brianna. the nasdaq hit a 12-year high. this is a really -- this is a really kind of tough position, because critics will say it hasn't worked. the fed will say, can you imagine what would have happened if the fed hadn't been in there supporting the markets this whole time? we barely have growth and you've got unprecedented support from the fed. it is the fed keeping money going in the economy, where banks aren't lending, and where companies are skittish, they're sitting on their money, and where congress is paralyzed.

all congress can do is come back to work, and pass a bill to keep the government going. let alone fix our problems. the fed is the only game in town. >> as you said, the economy needs a square meal, and this is doughnuts? >> this is a box of doughnuts. >> the economy needs a square meal. the fed can't give it the square meal. the economy has got to produce that on its own. this is a box of doughnuts. a bit of a sugar high but it will get us through. >> all right, christine, thank you. 16 after the hour. let's get you up to date now. anti-american fury spreading like a wildfire around the world. protests breaking out across the middle east. north africa, and even in places like morocco, kashmir and israel, all over a crude 14-minute movie produced in the u.s. that has infoouriated millions of muslims. in libya authorities announced four arrests on the attack on the u.s. consulate that killed four americans earlier this week and benghazi's airport is shut down for security reasons. and mitt romney won't be out of the national security loop much longer. you may recall he found out he

wasn't getting briefings. well, the gop nominee will be getting regular intelligence briefings from the obama administration beginning next week. that is customary for presidential challengers in the late stages of campaigns. a video posted on youtube appears to show syria's military shelling a town in the damascus suburbs. the video is a bit shaky but you can see a plane firing what may be a rocket over the town of yabroud. smoke is seen rising from buildings below. the opposition says nearly 60 people were killed yesterday in the area surrounding the syrian capital. talks have turned from bitter to hopeful in the chicago teachers strike and today could signal the end of that standoff. the teachers union and school officials, they do have a vote scheduled for 3:00 p.m. today. the earliest classes will be back in session is monday. brienne that means kids in the third largest school district in the country, they lost a week of education. all right. and we're keeping an eye, of course, at -- keeping our eye on

unrest around the world, particularly in the middle east. these are live pictures in cairo. you can see some protesters gathering there. we'll continue to monitor this to see if, perhaps, things develop following friday prayers. if protests move in to more violence. or if things remain relatively calm. still to be determined. we'll be right back. [ male announcer ] the first look...is only the beginning. ♪ ♪ introducing a stunning work of technology. ♪ introducing the entirely new lexus es. and the first ever es hybrid. this is the pursuit of perfection.

his morning starts with arthritis pain. and two pills. afternoon's overhaul starts with more pain. more pills.

triple checking hydraulics. the evening brings more pain. so, back to more pills. almost done, when... hang on. stan's doctor recommended aleve. it can keep pain away all day with fewer pills than tylenol. this is rudy. who switched to aleve. and two pills for a day free of pain. ♪ [ female announcer ] and try aleve for relief from tough headaches.

welcome back to "early start." diplomatic missions across the globe are on high alert this morning as the u.s. braces for more violent demonstrations in response to an anti-muslim film. all four americans who were killed in the attack in benghazi, libya, have now been identified. barbara starr live for us at the pentagon. barbara, what are you learning about the two other victims that were previously unnamed? >> well, now we do know who they are. and both men are former u.s. navy s.e.a.l.s, highly decorated military veterans. secretary of state hillary clinton identified them as 41-year-old tyrone woods. and 42-year-old glen doherty. both of their mothers have now spoken. >> ty was not one to be seen as a hero. he would want to be seen as a guy on his team who did his job. >> and did it well. >> did it well. did it the best he could.

obviously, obviously and unfortunately, and i'm sure -- i'm sure my son went down fighting. i don't know the ins and outs of it. i haven't been told. but i'm sure he went down fighting. i'm sure he did. and i just hope his last moments weren't painful. >> glen was amazing human being. and we're -- we're devastated. he was a great friend, and brother and really good at his job. and it's a huge loss for everyone. >> glen doherty was in libya as part of a mission to search for missiles and weapons left over from the gadhafi regime and the other navy s.e.a.l., tyrone woods is survived by his wife and three sons, one of whom was just born a few weeks ago -- few months ago, rather. and of course the entire u.s. navy s.e.a.l. community now in mourning one more time for their fallen. brianna? >> it's just terrible to hear about that.

let me ask you this, changing directions a little bit, u.s. warships and marines, they're moving into the region. are they now in place? and what role will they be serving? >> the u.s. marines are, of course, as we've said so many times, just 50 marines who are at the embassy in tripoli for embassy security. part of that effort to make sure security of embassies around the world is fully beefed up. they're already in place. the warships, again, one already on station off the coast of libya. another one will arrive, we are told, in the next day or so. part of the message. part of the signal that the administration is sending, the u.s. military is watching what is going on. >> barbara starr, live from the pentagon for us. thanks, barbara. next on "early start" we're watching the situation in egypt where friday prayers are ending. and a march called by the muslim brotherhood is supposed to be starting. live pictures. right now we're seeing just scattered movements.

certainly not the violence we saw overnight. we're going to continue to monitor this for you. bring you a live report from egypt. i have a cold, and i took nyquil, but i'm still stubbed up. [ male announcer ] truth is, nyquil doesn't unstuff your nose. what? [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus liquid gels speeds relief to your worst cold symptoms plus has a decongestant for your stuffy nose. thanks. that's the cold truth!

ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 let's talk about the cookie-cutter retirement advice ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 you get at some places. ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 they say you have to do this, have that, invest here ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 you know what? ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 you can't create a retirement plan based on ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 a predetermined script. ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 to understand you and your goals... ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 ...so together we can find real-life answers for your ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 real-life retirement. ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 talk to chuck ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 and let's write a script based on your life story. ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 you know, ronny... folks who save hundreds of dollars by switching to geico sure are happy. and how happy are they jimmy? i'd say happier than a bodybuilder directing traffic. he does look happy. get happy. get geico.

fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. the economy needs manufacturing. machines, tools, people making stuff. companies have to invest in making things. infrastructure, construction, production. we need it now more than ever. chevron's putting more than $8 billion dollars back in the u.s. economy this year. in pipes, cement, steel, jobs, energy. we need to get the wheels turning. i'm p. making real things... for real. ...that make a real difference.

♪ live pictures from cairo as friday prayers are winding down, and what was expected to be a massive protest there may not happen. the muslim brotherhood telling people now to stay away from tourer square this morning and asking for a peaceful march in other parts of the city,

instead. and new developments in libya. the airports in the city of benghazi where four americans were killed this week is now shut down for security reasons. that as four people are now in custody in connection with those killings. welcome back to "early start" i'm christine romans. >> and i'm brianna keilar. 29 minutes past the hour. new this morning the massive protests expected in egypt as friday prayers come to an end. so far not materializing. the muslim brotherhood urging people not to gather in tahrir square and instead urging peaceful marches in other parts of the city. now that wasn't the case there last night as fighting fires and violence erupted throughout the city. meantime protests spreading to 11 countries from as far west as morocco to as far east as india. the worst of it in yemen where at least five yemenis were killed after protesters stormed the american embassy in sanaa. protesters destroying cars and property as the yemeni military brought out water cannons to control the crowd.

and in libya, news overnight that four people arrested in connection to the killing of ambassador christopher stevens and three other americans. we now know the identity of the other two american victims killed in the attack. glen doherty and tyrone woods, both former navy s.e.a.l.s who were acting as security. meantime this morning, more u.s. firepower has arrived. the president vowing all necessary steps to protect u.s. citizens around the world. and new information on the mysterious filmmaker who duped his cast and lit the match. we're covering this morning story only the way cnn can. live in libya, egypt, and washington, d.c. first to cairo, where violent protests raged through the night. riot police carrying shields and batons rushing several hundred protesters. calls this morning by egypt's muslim brotherhood for peaceful marches. also calls for protests in iran and the gaza strip. large protests expected in baghdad and basra.

ian lee has been following developments in cairo. what's the scene like right now? i know they were constructing a perimeter wall. are police pulling back from that at this point? >> that's exactly right. the police have pulled behind that wall. and christine, we were just talking a little while ago about how there was a lull. well that lull is over. police and protesters are battling it again. but the police have moved behind that wall. that wall is a concrete wall that's roughly 10, 15 feet high. they're using tear gas behind that wall to disperse the crowd. and this wall is about 30 yards from the embassy. so it really is the last stand for the police before protesters will be at the wall of the embassy. so things have once again picked up. tahrir square is relatively small compared to egypt standards. a few hundred in this square who are peacefully protesting, the violence right now is around the embassy. >> overnight we know egypt's

state-run news reporting some 37 people arrested in connection with the embassy attacks. what are the details of those arrests? >> well out of those 37, 30 are charged with thuggery, assaulting police officers, and destroying public property. the egyptian government's way of telling people that they are holding people accountable for the breach that happened tuesday night when we saw protesters scale the u.s. embassy wall and tear down the american flag. >> all right. ian lee in cairo. thank you, ian. the anti-american rage seemingly spreading like a wildfire. in iran, hundreds of protesters gathered outside the swiss embassy in tehran shouting death to the united states. the swiss embassy handles u.s. interests in iran, and is being heavily guarded by police. demonstrators are calling for all u.s. embassies in muslim countries to be suspended. and in iraq, hundreds taking to the streets of baghdad, burning american flags, and denouncing the u.s. as the enemy of the

people. iraq's prime minister denouncing the u.s. film that's sparking all the outrage, calling on, quote, all divine religions to go after the, quote, racists and stop them from spreading their dangerous thoughts. >> let's bring in peter brookes who is a former member of assistant secretary of defense and currently a senior fellow with the heritage foundation and conservative think tank. what should be the american response at this point? >> well, i think the american response has been appropriate so far. obviously we have to secure our embassies. make sure that they are not breached. we have to call upon the governments that are responsible, christine, for security outside of the embassies. this is something that is part of the vienna convention on diplomatic relations. they need to make sure outside of the embassy that it's secure and american personnel and diplomatic missions. we also have to call on these governments to tamp down the violence. to call on people to restrain from violence. and we also, i think, have to, especially in the case of libya,

you know, think about, you know, getting the perpetrators of these terrible acts that took place at the benghazi consulate. now obviously we've got to figure out who did this. you know, that's the important thing. you've got to be able to figure out who do it. it seems to me that the people who were probably arrested in libya were probably folks they were able to have pictures of, and were involved in some of the violence there. whether they're involved in the horrible violence that led to the death of four americans is unclear at this point. or whether they're part of a radical or terrorist group is unclear. but i think, you know, we have to, you know, start making declaratory statements and then take actions when we know where we should be -- which direction we should be going. >> you wrote an op-ed that was such an interesting point about this warning in cairo and tripoli. both in the formative stages of forming permanent governments, the warning is twofold. don't get too close to washington and don't think of veering too far from the islamist hard line. what we saw in benghazi, what we saw in cairo, one was a mob, one

was a very well-armed attack on a u.s. mission. but politically, you say that there's a real clear choice happening here. >> yeah, i think so. i mean, especially if you look at egypt. a very, very important country in the arab world. a very, very important country to the united states. i mean, this is -- you have a government in there that -- whose leader is an acolyte of the muslim brotherhood but there are much more hard-line groups in that country, lit cal parties. and i think some of these protests are telling the -- telling these leaders, don't get too close to the united states. remember, egypt was close to the united states. it's not so close anymore. you heard what the president said the other day. and you better pay attention to what we want you to do. in terms of politics, in terms of social policies. and i think the same thing, you're right, it's probably more egypt in that case. but i think the same thing we're seeing around the muslim world, and i think these are warnings to these new governments, that they better pay attention to the hard-line parties in their country. >> i want to play quickly what

president mursi said about the attacks. on the other end, tell me was that enough? is he moving in the right direction? >> translator: we assured president obama that we will be keen and we will not permit any such event. any such occurrence in our country against the embassies present in our territories. >> is it enough? >> well, it's four days late, isn't it? i mean, that's the first thing that comes to mind. we're in the fourth day of this crisis. a lot could have happened in the previous three days in egypt. we could have ended up in a situation like we had in benghazi. so, yeah, it's about time he came around on this. and he probably was very -- he's very concerned about what he's hearing out of the united states. out of congress in particular. about the relationship between u.s. and egypt. so i think he should have come out much, much earlier, christine, with saying that. and whether it's going to be enough, we'll have to see. we'll have to see whether his

security forces are able to provide for security for the u.s. embassy as your correspondent just noted, things are starting to get hot there again. >> peter brookes, deputy assistant secretary of defense, former assistant secretary of defense thank you. >> it's not looking good in some must-win states for mitt romney's chance of winning the white house. we have new polls from key battleground states. and we'll talk about what they mean coming up. are you okay, babe? i'm fine. ♪ ♪ ♪ with a subaru you can always find a way. announcer: love. it's what makes a subaru, a subaru. why they're always there to talk. i love you, james. don't you love me? i'm a robot.

i know. i know you're a robot! but there's more in you than just circuits and wires! uhhh. (cries) a machine can't give you what a person can. that's why ally has knowledgeable people there for you, night and day. ally bank. your money needs an ally. energy is being produced to power our lives. while energy development comes with some risk, north america's natural gas producers are committed to safely and responsibly providing generations of cleaner-burning energy for our country, drilling thousands of feet below fresh water sources within self-contained well systems. and, using state-of-the-art monitoring technologies, rigorous practices help ensure our operations are safe and clean for our communities and the environment. we're america's natural gas. exclusive to the military, and commitment is not limited to one's military oath. the same set of values that drive our nation's military

are the ones we used to build usaa bank. with our award winning apps that allow you to transfer funds, pay bills or manage your finances anywhere, anytime. so that wherever your duty takes you, usaa bank goes with you. visit us online to learn what makes our bank so different.

we've got an early look here at the white house in washington, d.c. 65 degrees now, going up to 85 degrees. >> nice day. >> it has been a beautiful week in washington, d.c., i have to say. >> after brutally hot summer.

>> it feels like california there. with just over seven weeks remaining in the race for the white house, the president appears to be pulling ahead. just take a look at the latest national cnn poll of polls. 49% of likely voters now backing president obama. 46% for mitt romney. and cnn political editor paul steinhauser joining us now live from washington, because paul, what we really want to know is how is he doing in these battleground states? looking pretty good, right? >> exactly. and you know, of course the race for the white house, as you know, brianna, is a race for the states and their electoral votes. that's why, like the national polls, we really pay attention to the state polls. a slew have come out in the last 24 hours. these are from nbc, marist and "the wall street journal," ohio, such a crucial battleground state. the president now with a seven-point lead according to this poll. another new poll that came out had it much tighter in ohio. florida and virginia, also very important states, you can see the president with a five-point advantage. that is within the sampling there. take a look at this other poll, this one really sparked my

interest. michigan, epic/mra, all these polls cutted after the democratic convention. in michigan a ten-point advantage over mitt romney. you remember, you were there with me in charlotte at the democratic convention they spent a lot of time talking about those auto bailouts and how the president was for them and mitt romney was against them. that may be hurting mitt romney a little bit in michigan. the state where he was born. >> and we also heard a lot of talk about how yes, the economy is not doing great. but, president obama and his surrogates saying it's not his fault. that they look to the bush administration, and i guess it's no surprise when you look at some of the economic polling that you have, right? >> yeah, let's spell it out. you're absolutely right. remember the message from the ones after their convention was are you better off now than you were four years ago. we asked that in our new cnn/orc national poll. this is among registered voters, you can see that 44% said i'm worse thaf financially than i was four years ago. 37% say they're better off. and about one in five say i'm about the same as i was four years ago.

as to your specific question, look at the next number. here we are, almost four years in the obama presidency and people are still blaming president bush and the republicans for getting us into this economic mess about 35% say it's the president and the democrats' fault. brianna, of course, the economy still the top issue on the minds of americans voters. >> paul steinhauser, you are chipper this morning. we appreciate having you. >> 44 minutes after the hour. protests expected in cairo, so far not materializing as friday prayers have ended and people have gathered peacefully so far in tahrir square. live look now at the square. overnight, however, new demonstrations breaking out across the middle east, north africa, even in places like israel, morocco, kashmir. all over a 14-minute movie produced in the u.s. that has outraged muslims. in libya, authorities announcing four arrests in connection with the attack on the u.s. consulate earlier this week that killed four americans, including the american ambassador there. mitt romney will not be out

of the national security loop much longer. you may remember he wasn't getting briefings. but the gop nominee will now be getting regular intelligence briefings from the obama administration beginning next week. that is customary for presidential challengers in the late stages of campaigns. and a guard who was taken hostage by prisoners in a maximum security prison in south carolina is a free man this morning. officials say he was rescued without incident by armed officers around 9:45 last night after being held by prisoners for about five hours at the lee correctional institution. the guard suffered cuts on his arms and face but he was able to walk out by himself. >> in chicago, talks have gone from bitter to hopeful in the chicago teachers strike. and today, today could signal the end of the standoff. the teachers union and school officials have scheduled a vote at 3:00 p.m. today. the earlier classes will be back in session is monday. a whole week these kids had not in the classroom. not learning in the classroom.

let's bring in brooke baldwin in for soledad this morning. >> a lot of what you've been talking about. obviously go to the middle east as we have the last couple of mornings. the fury spreading there. the u.s., securing embassies not just in this corner of the world but worldwide. and now libyan officials say four people, four have been arrested in connection with this week's deadly assault on the u.s. consulate in benghazi. we're all over this. covering this live constantly here. in a way only cnn can with our tried and trusted correspondents stationed around the world. we're live from libya and egypt. also from the pentagon this morning and our news bureaus throughout washington. and only on cnn, take a look at our panel coming up. expert guests coming in to just break down and an looiz what this means, the anger, the politics, what does the future hold as far as relations between the u.s., and middle east countries. so we have two former assistant secretaries jamie rubin and richard williamson. also u.s. ambassador tim roemer.

robin wright, and a high lay respected middle east export "time" magazine's editor bobby ghosh. we'll just continue the conversation between the middle east, this film, and the politics. >> did you watch a little bit of that film? >> it is so amateurish. cartoonish is what someone said from washington. >> the fact that lives could be lost over something that's so poorly done. >> sure. >> and the cast and crew is just appalled, completely feel like they were duped by the producer. they had no idea what they were doing. >> and the character was -- >> think about an adventure movie, how social media helped the arab spring and now it's something that could be spread on youtube that's hurting. >> thank you, brooke. and up next, the islam bashing filmmaker identified. the man who made the short, shoddy and offensive film that sparked the deadly protests. and we go to his house. miguel marquez with the details

ahead. when you have diabetes... your doctor will say get smart about your weight. i tried weight loss plans... but their shakes aren't always made for people with diabetes. that's why there's glucerna hunger smart shakes. they have carb steady, with carbs that digest slowly to help minimize blood sugar spikes. and they have six grams of sugars. with fifteen grams of protein to help manage hunger... look who's getting smart about her weight. [ male announcer ] glucerna hunger smart. a smart way to help manage hunger and diabetes.

with the fidelity stock screener, you can try strategies from independent experts and see what criteria they use. such as a 5% yield on dividend-paying stocks. then you can customize the strategies and narrow down to exactly those stocks you want to follow. i'm mark allen of fidelity investments. the expert strategies feature is one more innovative reason serious investors are choosing fidelity. now get 200 free trades when you open an account. a short word that's a tall order. up your game. up the ante. and if you stumble, you get back up. up isn't easy, and we ought to know. we're in the business of up. everyday delta flies a quarter of million people while investing billions improving everything from booking to baggage claim. we're raising the bar on flying and tomorrow we will up it yet again.

51 minutes past the hour if you're running out the door. the man behind the anti-muslim film that sparked much of the mideast violence identified. but he isn't coming forward. >> miguel marquez knocked on the filmmaker's door after digging into his shady past. >> this is the house that cnn and all the media has tracked the man that we now know to be nakoula basseley nakoula. he's hunkered down in there, he's not coming out. he's the shadowy maker of a low-budget anti-islamic film who has a criminal past and many aliases. someone who doesn't want to be found. and as we discovered for good

reason. in 1997, bacile spent a year in prison convicted of trying to manufacture methamphetamine. he spent another year in federal prison for fraud. these are just some of the documents for criminal cases against sam bacile or nakoula basseley nakoula. it is by going through these that investigators had a hard time tracking him down, as well. the guy had several addresses. many social security numbers. and lots of names. court documents showed he used at least 17 different names, including sam bacile, kitbag, difrat and thomas tanas. anyone having anything to do with sam bacile is scared to death across los angeles. this is a neighborhood in long beach. a man who lives here says that nakoula basseley used his address to get credit cards, and conduct some of the fraudulent activity that he carried out. he found out about it, called

the police, numbers associated with bacile's many identities turn up nothing. >> the number you dialed is not a working number. >> reporter: even anti-islamic activists who work with him say they were never exactly sure who he was. >> sam was not his real name. i knew that. >> reporter: the same true even for actors in his own movie. >> he told me he was from israel. he told me he was going to show the movie in egypt. and either i assumed he was from egypt, or -- >> reporter: he led you to believe he was egyptian? >> yes. because that's what i believed. >> reporter: this is the best address we have for sam bacile or nakoula basseley, whatever you want to call him. all of the media is camped out here. we're going to try one more time to talk to him. mr. bacile? mr. nakoula? it's miguel marquez with cnn. this house, the center of an

intense search for answers from a man who has many questions, hanging over his head. there were reports out there that nakoula was israeli american. it seemed that he may have put out that information himself. cnn has confirmed that nakoula is actually egyptian. and he belongs to a coptic christian church here in the l.a. area. >> that's cnn's miguel marquez reporting from california. and still ahead, remembering chris stevens, not just the diplomat, but the person. >> instinctively and intentionally, and through his training, he was about bringing people together. >> the family of u.s. ambassador chris stevens talks for the first time about his life and his death in the ben gauze day consulate attack. and spirit of is an awesome place to be. introducing the all-new 2013 chevrolet malibu eco. ♪ sophisticated new styling, the fuel-saving intelligence of eassist, 37 mpg highway,

and up to 580 highway miles on a single tank of gas. ♪ the all-new 2013 chevrolet malibu eco. ♪ it has everything to put you in the malibu state of mind no matter what state you live in. ♪ wthe future of our medicare andr electiosocial security. for... man 1: i want facts. straight talk. tell me your plan... and what it means for me. woman 2: i'm tired of the negative ads and political spin. that won't help me decide. man 2: i earned my medicare and social security. and i deserve some answers. anncr: where do the candidates stand on issues that... affect seniors today and in the future? find out with the aarp voters' guide at earnedasay.org [ dog ] we found it together.upbeat ] on a walk, walk, walk. love to walk. yeah, we found that wonderful thing. and you smiled. and threw it. and i decided i would never, ever leave it anywhere.

because that wonderful, bouncy, roll-around thing... had made you play. and that... had made you smile. [ announcer ] beneful. play. it's good for you. to meet the needs of my growing business. but how am i going to fund it? and i have to find a way to manage my cash flow better. [ female announcer ] our wells fargo bankers are here to listen, offer guidance and provide you with options tailored to your business. we've loaned more money to small businesses than any other bank for ten years running. so come talk to us to see how we can help. wells fargo. together we'll go far.

have more fiber than other leading brands. they're the better way to enjoy your fiber.

all right. what's happening right now, the muslim brotherhood, they've canceled nationwide protests across egypt. this is according to the official twitter account of the muslim brotherhood. they said protests will only be in tahrir square in cairo to demonstrate against that film. but they have said they would like peaceful protests. they would just like a protest only in tahrir square but they do not want nationwide protests in the country. >> and it's quite the change because initially we saw after the attacks in -- after the attacks in cairo, and in benghazi, we saw the muslim brotherhood actually praising those attacks. and there's a lot of concern that as friday prayers wrapped up today, this was going to be the logical time that we could see a flashpoint, that maybe the violence would not only continue but grow. so this is the news that actually the protesters are not

materializing as we thought they would. >> okay. that's it for us on "early start." i'm christine romans. >> and i'm brianna keilar. "starting point" begins right now. good morning, everyone. i'm john berman. >> i'm brooke baldwin. soledad off today. she's back monday. our starting point for you, bracing for another eruption of violence. new fury overnight. of course ars of violence spreading as the friday prayers draw massive, massive crowds together throughout the muslim world. we're calling up cnn's worldwide reach going live throughout the middle east this morning in the way only cnn can. >> plus, hunting down the killers. right now, there are four people under arrest for the fierce deadly accurate ambush in benghazi, libya. we are live outside the consulate there. >> and frayed relations. how should the u.s. answer the violence that is there in the middle east and what is the future of u.s. relations in the arab world? all questions we'll address this